Home Pro Trades Painters

Professional Painting Tips

Updated: Feb. 27, 2023

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I used to think I was a pretty good amateur painter. That is, until I worked with a real pro, my new painting guru, Butch. Like other successful tradespeople, he has to get the job done quickly and properly to keep his business healthy. The word-of-mouth referrals from satisfied customers take care of all his marketing needs.

What You Can Learn From a Pro

Butch’s shortcuts and methodical, organized approach to painting were designed to save him time, eliminate callbacks and make him more money. Next time you paint, try Butch’s system—you’ll be surprised at the speed and quality of your work. And you won’t get any more testy callbacks from your spouse!

A first class paint job takes time, patience, the right tools and high-quality paints. We’ll show you how to:

• Organize tasks so you can move to the next step without waiting
• Get prep work done easier and faster
• Use fast-drying primers and sealers to avoid downtime
• Produce a smooth look with brushes and rollers
• Caulk and mask trim for crisp, flawless corners and joints.

Organize Your Work so You Never Have to Stop

Follow a sequence of steps (as our photos show) that’ll allow you to let one part of the prep work dry while you go on to the next chore. The first few steps will give you the idea: Seal water stains on the ceiling and, while they’re drying, sand, degloss and prime the woodwork. While the primer dries, put the first coat of paint on the ceiling and so on. If you’re the kind of person who would prefer to work your tail off for a weekend rather than stretch the project out over several relaxed days, this story is especially for you. But even if you prefer the laid-back approach to painting, following these steps will yield excellent results with less hassle.

Allow a weekend to completely finish two average-sized rooms. You should try to get through Photo 10 on Saturday. You’ll need to hustle, but you’ll complete the bulk of the work. Saturday’s caulking will dry overnight so you can tape the woodwork and finish up on Sunday. You’ll be done with the whole job in time to have supper and catch “60 Minutes” that night.

Step 1: Lay a drop cloth and tape floor edges

Photo 1: Lay drop cloths and tape floor edges

Protect the carpet with 3-in. masking tape. Run the tape about 1/2 in. onto the face of the baseboard and push it down under the base with a wallpaper smoothing tool. (Putty knives will cut the tape when you’re forcing it down.) Lay dropcloths over the floor and on top of the tape. Remove all switch plate covers, put tape over the outlets and switches and remove all wall-mounted grates. Also cover any hardware, such as doorstops and hinges, and remove knobs and door strike plates.

Begin by spending 15 minutes clearing the room. Painting is enough of a chore without having to weave your way through a room full of furnishings. Remove everything you can, including couches and dressers. If something is too large or heavy to move, put it in the middle of the room and cover it with .5-mil painter’s plastic. Complete the paint prep work by taping the carpeting down to the bottom of the baseboards (Photo 1) and running dropcloths over the top of the tape. It’s worth investing in canvas dropcloths to protect your floors. Although you may be tempted to substitute cheap plastic sheeting, canvas stays put and offers a non-slip surface. It’s easiest to buy a couple of 9 x 12-ft. drops, but you could just buy one and move it around to follow your painting.

Step 2: Remove wall obstructions and tape fixtures

Photo 2: Seal stains

Use a quick-drying stain sealer so you don’t have to wait while it dries.

Remove everything from the wall, including picture hangers and outlet cover plates. REMOVE light fixture covers and mask the bases with plastic bags and tape. Then seal old water stains with a spray stain killer.
Caution: Don’t turn on a light if the bulb is covered.

Step 3: Sand and clean the woodwork

Photo 3: Sand all the trim

Sand all the woodwork with 100-grit (medium) sanding sponges to slightly roughen smooth, hard surfaces and to dull glossy finishes.

Photo 3A: Sanding sponge

Sanding sponges work great for sanding trim with contours and corners.

Photo 4: Degloss and clean varnish

Degloss and clean the woodwork with a deglosser-cleaner for better paint adhesion or when the old paint contains lead. Also clean any areas on walls (such as around light switches) where there may be hand oil deposits. Ideally, you should prime between 10 and 30 minutes after applying the bonding agent. But read the label. Some agents need to be painted immediately; others need to dry first.

Caution: Use a respirator (rated for organic solvents) or provide good ventilation when using solvent-based primers, sealers or bonding agents.

Sanding doesn’t simply smooth out scratches, dents and bumps. It also slightly roughens smooth, hard surfaces so paint adheres better. A deglosser works faster and better on hard varnishes, especially if they are greasy (Photo 4).

Step 4: Prime the woodwork

Photo 5: Brush and roll primer on woodwork

Prime smaller trim such as casings, base and door jambs with a 2-in. brush, and roll doors with a 7-in. wide, 1/4-in. nap roller sleeve on a 7-in. roller frame.

Prime the woodwork with a fast-drying solvent-based (oil or alcohol) primer, not a water-based latex. Don’t be overly concerned if you slop some primer on adjoining walls, but be sure to smooth out large globs of paint. If you don’t, they’ll show through the wall paint later.

Step 5: Roll the first paint coat on the ceiling

Photo 6: Roll the ceiling

Roll on ceiling white with a 9-in. wide, 3/4-in. nap roller sleeve on a 9-in. roller frame.

Roll as lightly as possible on this first coat in one direction only. Your objective is to apply a coat of paint to lock in the rough particles so they’ll stay put when you do the second, thicker coat. You’re painting two sides of each texture particle; you’ll pick up the other two sides when you recoat in the opposite direction. Again, don’t worry too much about slopping some paint on the walls, but avoid a large buildup. TIP: Test-roll the textured ceiling in a closet or other hidden area first. If flaking’s a problem, either spray paint it, or use a quick-drying oil- or alcohol-based primer.

Step 6: Sand, fill and caulk the woodwork

Photo 7: Caulk the gaps

Caulk all wall/woodwork joints with a paintable white silicone/latex caulk. Cut a small (1/8-in.) hole in the end of the nozzle. Wipe off excess and smooth caulk beads with a damp synthetic sponge.

Sand the walls with 100-grit sandpaper to remove bumps from the old paint job, rough edges of drywall paper around any gouges and any other imperfections. A drywall sander (photo 13) will make the job easier. Sand primed woodwork with a medium-grit sanding sponge. Fill any wall blemishes such as nail holes and gouges with a non-shrinking spackling compound and lightly sand after they’re dry. Dust all the woodwork with an old, soft paint brush or duster. Then caulk gaps around the woodwork edges.

Step 7: Cut-in and roll the second ceiling coat

Photo 8: Create a flat edge

Drag a flat screwdriver over the edges of ceilings to remove a thin line of texture. This will ensure crisp paint lines later when you’re cutting in the wall paint along the ceiling.

Photo 9: Paint the ceiling edge

Cut in the perimeters of ceilings with ceiling white and a 3-in. brush. Don’t worry if you lap over onto the wall. Roll on a second coat of ceiling paint in the opposite direction of the first coat.

Photo 8 shows a simple way to make a flat edge along a textured ceiling. Without that edge, you can’t cut in cleanly along the ceiling with the wall paint. Finish the ceiling before starting the walls.

Step 8 Paint the woodwork

Photo 10: Smooth the paint on the door

Roll the door, then “tip off” (flatten) stipples (the paint peaks left from the roller nap) immediately with a paint-moistened 3-in. synthetic brush. Take long, light strokes from the top of the door and from the bottom, gently lifting the bristles off the door at about the middle.

Now brush the first coat of latex trim paint onto the woodwork (primer is now dry) with a 2-in. brush, and roll doors with a 1/4-in. nap roller. Then break for the day to let the paint dry. Depending on coverage, you may need to recoat the woodwork the next day. If so, lightly sand between coats with 220-grit sandpaper to smooth brush marks.

Tip: Add a paint conditioner for a smoother finish when brush and roller marks won’t level out.

Step 9: Tape the woodwork

Photo 11: Mask the edges

Tape all woodwork seams with painter’s tape. Lay the tape onto the woodwork and press it into the caulk with the corner of your putty knife to prevent the wall paint from bleeding behind the tape onto the woodwork. (The caulk has to be dry at this point.) Let the tape stick out perpendicular to the trim to act as a little protective roof to catch paint drips.

Day 2: If you’ve been able to push through the first day, your room should be ready to finish on the second, more leisurely, day. It takes too long and takes too steady hand to cut the wall paint in around all the woodwork. You’d have to do it well for each coat. It’s much easier and faster to mask it, making sure that the tape adheres tightly to the edge so paint doesn’t ooze under. The ceiling/wall joint is an exception; you can cut in by hand there.

Make sure the trim paint and caulk are dry at this point.

Video: A Trick for Storing Paint Brushes Overnight

When you’re in the middle of a painting project and you need to stop for lunch or for the day, you don’t want to clean your brush, but you also don’t want to come back to a dried up mess. This video shows the best way to store paint brushes so you can use them again later. During your next painting project, you’ll be glad you watched this video.

Step 10: Paint the walls

Photo 12: Cut in and roll the walls

Cut in one wall around woodwork, ceiling, inside corners and electrical boxes with a 3-in. brush. With the cut-in paint still wet, roll that wall with a 9-in. wide, 1/2-in. nap roller on a 9-in. roller frame.

Photo 12A: Bucket/screen combination

To speed up painting larger rooms, pour 1 or 2 gal. of paint into a 5-gal. bucket and use a roller screen instead of a roller tray.

The key to streak-free wall painting is to maintain a wet edge. The wet cut-in paint should blend with the rolled areas to prevent “picture framing” or shadow lines at hand-painted/rolled junctions. Roll from top to bottom, from right to left, keeping the unsupported side of the roller frame pointing toward the left (Photo 12). Apply slightly heavier pressure to the unsupported side of the roller to eliminate roller tracks.

Using a bucket and screen instead of a paint tray speeds up the work (Photo 12A).

Required Tools for this Project

Have the necessary tools for this DIY project lined up before you start—you’ll save time and frustration.

• Drywall sander
• Roller tray

You’ll also need synthetic bristle paintbrushes (2-in. and 3-in.), sanding sponges (medium and fine grits), paint rollers (7-in. and 9-in.), a roller extension handle, 7-in. mohair roller cover (1/4-in. nap), 9-in. sheepskin roller covers (1/2-in. and 3/4-in. nap), dropcloths (canvas), putty knife (2-in.), painter’s tape (3-in.) and a
wallpaper smoothing tool.

Required Materials for this Project

Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here’s a list.

• Alcohol base primer
• Ceiling paint
• Deglosser/cleaner
• Denatured alcohol solvent
• Latex paint conditioner
• Shellac spray sealer
• Silicone caulk
• Trim paint
• Wall paint
• Wall spackling compound